This fighter is interesting to me, I guess partly because you were never sure what you'd end up getting when he fought. He was a real paradox; he could look like gold against the very best (Arguello, Rosario) and fall painfully short against others that he should have looked better against on paper (Olivares, Mancini). Even his career itself, spotty as it could be at the very top level, was a marvel of consistency in its own way for the sheer amount of years he was either champion or in the list of top contenders. Inconsistency within remarkable consistency. One could excuse him for being blasted out in two as a neophyte against an aged and shopworn Olivares; from what I've read, it was a body shot that got him. Ramirez was young and inexperienced and **** happens. Fair enough. He later gets matched with an Arguello who was at or very near his prime and decked the legend en route to boxing smartly and losing a disputed decision. He looked AMAZING that day. Then he goes up the ratings only to be shut down completely by the admittedly underrated Ray Mancini. The fight wasn't close, and Mancini either looked like a world beater himself or Ramirez was shown to be overhyped himself, feasting on no-hopers in Mexico and simply not prepared for that larger stage. He was then set up to be the lamb to slaughter against the latest and greatest, the reincarnation of Duran himself, Edwin Rosario. I thought he edged Rosario at the end, roaring ahead in the second half of the fight. He of course got his revenge in the rematch, scoring that tremendously exciting fourth-round TKO in Ring Magazine's Fight of The Year. He was decked once in the second and again in the third before turning the tables on the Puerto Rican in his own backyard. Of course he saw the other end of the stick in his very first defense, losing just about every round to the fast and flashy Hector Camacho en route to surrendering his long-sought WBC title. Of course he labored on, rebounding to win a close decision over perennial contender Terrence Alli to regain the crown. I thought he actually looked pretty good in 1987 when he lost a technical decision to a prime Chavez. Chavez had him figured out by then and was ripping him pretty good when the fight was stopped in the 11th, but the first three or four rounds were very even and Ramirez was looking very solid. Chavez was just that extra gear ahead of him, as he was against everyone. All in all, I think in his youth Ramirez was far more than just an aggressive southpaw mauler as he was thought of once he fought Camacho. He was a rather good boxer and understood pacing as well, but used just enough of his southpaw awkwardness to the mix to make him difficult to get a bead on. What are your thoughts on this perennial 80's champ?
Very solid fighter, though never ahead of the various other solid fighters on the 80s lightweight scene.Became a bit of an overrated propped up King fighter by the latter half of the eighties. I thnk his unexpected show of gritty versatility against the explosive slow man was his high point.I wouldn't say he looked amazing though, it was pretty basic mobile box-fighting and Arguello gave his usual "fight like it's 15 rounds anyway" non-title ten rounder display.
